Jags' Defense Shuts The Door On Anemic Bears

NFL - Game Day - WEEK 14

December 13, 2004|By Emily Badger, Sentinel Staff Writer

JACKSONVILLE -- This was a nice change of pace for the Jacksonville Jaguars' defense, a unit that has become accustomed to sweating through the final minutes, even seconds, of wins that never seem to come as easily as they should.

There was the overtime win against Detroit, the one-point victory over Denver, the games won in the closing seconds in Buffalo, Tennessee and Indianapolis.

Before Sunday, when Jacksonville handily downed the Chicago Bears 22-3, the defense never really was able to enjoy a win until it was safely over.

"I like to see that -- I'd like to see more of that," defensive tackle John Henderson said of the offense's productive day and, in turn, the comfortable victory.

Without fear of blowing the game because of a missed tackle or bad read, the defense was able to use an aggressive style it rarely has been able to unleash this season.

Chicago, which entered last in the league in total offense, finished with 210 yards of offense, with just 31 on the ground. Quarterback Chad Hutchinson was sacked five times, including once for a safety, and threw an interception in the fourth quarter.

"We were able to cut loose and do some of the things that other defenses do," tackle Marcus Stroud said. "Most of our games this year, we've always been close or right there, last-minute games, so we didn't have the luxury to do those type of things."

Near the end of the first half, the Jags recorded a major defensive stand with Chicago facing third-and-8 on the Jags' 10. Jacksonville held a tenuous 7-0 lead at the time, but defensive end Jason Gildon sacked Hutchinson for a 14-yard loss and Chicago had to settle for the field goal.

"Every chance we got, we wanted to at least touch him," Gildon said of Hutchinson. "He was definitely a guy we didn't want to let settle into a rhythm. We wanted to frustrate the guy and make it a long day for him."

The defense converted even the little plays into big contributions Sunday. On special teams, cornerback Juran Bolden swatted a fourth-quarter punt out of bounds at the 4-yard line. One play later, rookie linebacker Daryl Smith exploited the field position for a safety that pushed the score to 15-3.

"We've been trying to put the pieces together for this defensive unit for a long time, and we finally did," rookie end Bobby McCray said.

The timing couldn't be better, with Jacksonville needing a win Sunday to keep its faint hopes alive in the AFC playoff race.